Daniel Boone Homestead Charter Day celebrates Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday
Demonstrations include gunsmithing, leatherworking, hearth cooking, spinning, wool dyeing and blacksmithing
The Daniel Boone Homestead in Exeter Township will celebrate Pennsylvania’s 343rd birthday during its Charter Day Open House event held from noon to 4 p.m. on March 10.
Charter Day recognizes the day William Penn received his land grant for Pennsylvania from King Charles II of England in 1681.
The Daniel Boone Homestead is the birthplace of the famed frontiersman, born in 1734. The Boone House, constructed in three stages throughout the 18th century, is a 10-room stone structure fully furnished to the period and situated on 579 acres of rolling countryside.
In observance of Pennsylvania’s founding, the Daniel Boone Homestead will offer an open house and living history event featuring 18th century demonstrations, trades, and hands-on activities including the operation of the Bertolet Sawmill.
Additional demonstrations include gunsmithing, leatherworking, hearth cooking, spinning, wool dyeing, and blacksmithing. The event will also feature craft and specialty food vendors as well as food trucks and concessions.
Visitors can tour the spring cellar and Boone House as they learn about the three families who lived there during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Volunteers will be cooking a hearty meal over the hearth in the kitchen.
Other buildings in the historic area will also be open for viewing including the smokehouse, blacksmith shop, and homestead barn. Throughout the historic area, visitors can learn about the skillful work of a blacksmith, the detailed creations of a leatherworker, and the intricate work of a gunsmith.
Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to tour the three-room Bertolet Log House and enjoy colonial toys and games.
Staff will be running the Bertolet Sawmill at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Moved to the Homestead in 1972 from its original location in the Oley Valley, the Bertolet Sawmill is one of the oldest operating water-powered vertical blade sawmills in Pennsylvania.
No admission is charged for this program, but donations are welcome. No pets (except service animals) and no smoking on site. Several activities and demonstrations are weather dependent.
Visit www.thedanielboonehomestead.org and The Daniel Boone Homestead on Facebook for more information. This program
is sponsored and run by the Daniel Boone Homestead Associates.
The Daniel Boone Homestead is owned by the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission, and daily historic operations are run by the Daniel Boone Homestead Associates, a local,
nonprofit organization. Charter Day is a PHMCwide event and several historic sites across the state participate.